By Chelsea Allen–

In a finale of revenge, the No. 16 Louisville Lady Cardinals claimed victory over the No. 21 DePaul Blue Demons on Saturday, after suffering a strangling 86-61 loss to the Blue Demons in Chicago earlier this season. A fitting finish to Becky Burke’s career in front of a crowd of over 10,000, the senior forward led the team in scoring with 20 points in her final home game at Louisville.

“I’ve had so much fun this year… that was a lot of fun,” Burke said of the season and her last home game. ”My teammates made it really special for me tonight, made me feel special all day. All I really cared about was this win, and it was kinda cool. I got to come on at the end and make some big shots.”

Burke was referring to the four consecutive shots she banked from behind the arc in the second half, boosting the team’s 35-29 lead from the half.

The Cards’ leading scorer, sophomore guard Shoni Schimmel, added 18 points to the victory, with a whopping nine assists and five steals.

“Shoni kept telling me she was going to find me, “ said Burke of Schimmel’s key passing. “I knew she would at some point.”

This dynamic duo was not the only contribution to the win. Freshman forward, Shawnta’ Dyer, recorded a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, noting the Cards made some key changes against the Blue Demons this time around.

“We did a lot of things differently,” said Dyer. “We have to understand that we have to defend, in order to defend we have to rebound; we have to do all the little things right.”

The home finish was a hard earned and redeeming victory for the Cards, as the season hasn’t been an easy ride. The Cards’ loss at DePaul in late January sparked a three-game losing streak, and they were defeated at home by 4th ranked Notre Dame last week. In the past month, sophomore center Ciera Warren decided to leave the team. Key players Monique Reid and Tia Gibbs each suffered season-ending injuries earlier in the season.

“We realize that we have to step up our game, our mentality, our drive our passion- everything,” Dyer said of the team’s ability to overcome the adversity of this season. “When you’re down a person, you have to do things you weren’t doing at the beginning of the season.”

Saturday’s game did not go off without a hitch, though, as University of Louisville Women’s Head Coach Jeff Walz was slapped with a technical late in the second half, for a “waving motion” at a referee.

“I pulled everybody together. We had to stay focused,” said Burke of the technical, which led to three good free throws by DePaul, putting them just four points behind the leading Cards, 58-54.

“When you see the other team on your court, getting hyped up thinking they’re about to make a run, you have to put a stop to that immediately, and that’s what we did,“ Burke said.

She immediately responded with a swish from three-point land, leading the Cards to take off for the win.

“It’s a great way to finish your career at home,” Jeff Walz commented on Burke’s finish. “She hit some big-time shots for us.”

He accredited Schimmel with creating some wide-open shots for Becky.

“Shoni loves to pass [the ball]. There are a lot of point guards out there that can’t make those passes.”

Exclaiming their season-finisher at home, Jeff Walz did not hide his excitement.

“It’s a huge win. After how [DePaul] embarrassed us at their place, it’s a huge win… I’m just excited for [the team].”

Junior forward Asia Taylor added a burst of offense in the second half with eight points, in addition to seven rebounds, along with freshman guard Bria Smith, contributing 10 and six.

The Lady Cards head off to the Big East Tournament next week, after finishing their regular season at Seton Hall on Monday, where Jeff Walz has no doubt they will play hard.

“This is an NCAA tournament team,” said Jeff Walz.

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Photo: Austin Lassell/The Louisville Cardinal